Motor fuel and process of making same



Patented Mar. 26, 1929.

UNITED STATES 1,707,019 PATENT OFFICE.

LESTER KIRSCHBRAUN, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, AND CHARLES B. BELKNAP, OF

HIGHLAN'D PARK, MICHIGAN.

MOTOR FUEL AND PROCESS OF MAKING SAME.

No Drawing. Application filed January 13, 1920, Serial N0. 351,194.Renewed August 17, 1928.

This invention relates to motor fuels and process of making same andrefers more particularly to motor fuels made from topped crude petroleumoil. It is known in the art that hydrocarbons heavier than gasoline, asfor example kerosene and gas oilolotained from the fractionaldistillation of crude petroleum, contain more power for use-in OX7plosive engines than does the so-ealled gasow line out. There have,however, heretofore been inherent difliculties which have revented theutilization of these heavier fuels for explosions in internal combustionongenes. tends to carbonize the engine so that in a relatively shorttime the carbon must be re moved from the cylinders, and secondly, thefuel has such a high initial point that it will not act efficiently todrive the engine and this is particularly noticeable-When the engine isidling down. The addition to the heavier cuts from the petroleum oil ofthe lighter ends such as the gasoline like bodies will lower the initialvaporizing point but will not prevent the decomposition of the carbon onthe cylinder Walls. r

To increase the output of gasoline, socalled cracking processes havebeen developed by which the heavier ends for example kerosene andgasoline are subjected to heat and pressure to break down thehydrocarbons and convert a substantial portion thereof into gasoline orgasoline like bodies. These pressure cracking processes are, however,relatively expensive in operation particularly in the consumption offuel and in the necessity of redistillation and various other steps inthe refining process. Without cracking the kerosene and gas oil 40 intogasoline like bodies, these heavier cuts are to all intents and purposespractically useless in internal combustion engines such as those used inautomobiles.

The object of the present invention is to utilize the heavierdistillates obtained from the crude petroleum such as the kerosene andgas oil cuts Without the necessity of previously cracking them intogasoline. An-

other object of the invention is to utilize the gasoline, kerosene andgas oil constituents of crude petroleum simply by topping the crude to asufficientextent to obtain these cuts and then treating the distillatesfrom this topped crude petroleum in accordance as with the presentinvention. It is also 1n- First, the use of these heavy fuels tended toutilize the distillates obtained from this topped crude as motor fuelsWithout the necessity of subjecting it to the usual caustic soda,sulphuric acid and water treatments. The present invention also producesa motor fuel which will not carbonize the cylinders and which has morepower than ordinary gasoline. The foregoing objects are obtained byforming a relatively permanent emulsion of the distillates of thistopped crude, Water and an emulsifying agent. Inasmuch as it isdesirable to obtain as perfect combustion as possible, an oxidizingagent may be added to the motor fuel to facilitate combustion whichoxidizing agent is insoluble in Water. To further insure a permanentemulsion, the mixture may be passed through a homogenizer underrelatively high pressure. The following method may be utilized incarrying out the process: A crude petroleum oil, say from a Kansasfield, containing 15% of gasoline, 5% of kerosene and 15 to 20% of gasoil is put in a still and fractionally distilled until the gasoline,kerosene and all or a substantial portion of the gas oil constituentshave vaporized and passed over the goose-neck into the condenser. Inorder to obviate any tendency of these constituents to stratify, the oilmay be so distilled that the gasoline, kerosene and gas 'oil cuts willall come over at substantially the same time. Care should be taken toavoid mechanically carrying over as much of the heavy ends as possible.To this composite distillate is now added an emulsifying agent, as forexample 1% of a saturated cyclic hydrocarbon or a derivative thereof ascrude naphthenic acid. To this is added Water, say from 5% to 10% so asto form an emulsion in which the water may be in the internal phase andthe oil and emulsifier in the external phase. If desired, theseingredients may be forced through a homogenizer under pressure of from500 to 5000 pounds in order to more finely subdivide the particles andthereby more readily form a permanent emulsion. It may not be necessaryto use the homogenizer as we have ascertained in practice that anemulsion formed as above stated merely by mechanical shaking will formarelatively permanent emulsion. The emulsion so formed is characterizedby its ability to stand cold Weather inasmuch as an emulsion formed inthis manner did not freeze the water or precipiwhich when blended to theextent of say 10% or more willgive azlower initial boiling point to themotor fuel.

-As an illustrative example of my invention I submit the following:

The distillates obtained from topped crude of 50 gravity consisting of amixture of gasoline, kerosene and gas oil just as it was fractionallydistilled from crude petroleum .was emulsified with 3 to 5% of water bymerely mechanically shaking the constituents together and then utilizedto operate an internal combustion engine. About 10% of 88 petroleumnaphtha was added to insure a sufficiently low initial boiling point.This emulsified motor fuel not only produced more mileage to the gallonthan would gasoline under like conditions but the exhaust was entirelyfree from smoke and apparently practically no carbon was being depositedin the cylinders. The fuel had ample power and no difliculty at all wasexperienced in starting the engine, or in other words obtaining theinitial combustion.

This motor fuel is of a whitish color and there is no tendency at allfor the water to separate out, the emulsion standing up over an extendedpriod of time without separation of the constituents.

We claim as our invention:

1. A fuel for internal combustion engines comprising a relativelypermanent emulsion of naphthenic acid, water and distillates comprisinga mixture of the gasoline, kerosene and gas oil content of crudepetroleum, the water being in the dispersed phase and the oil, in thecontinuous phase, the distillates being in excess of 70% in'the finalproduct by volume.

2. A fuel for internal combustion engines comprising a relativelypermanent emulsion of a relatively minor amount of naphthenic acid as anemulsifying agent, water and liquid hydrocarbon distillates comprisingthe gasoline, kerosene and gas oil content of crude petroleum, thesurface tensions of the oil and water being so altered as to maintainthe water in the dispersed phase in the liquid oil, and the oil in thecontinuous phase, the latter constituting in excess of 70% of the finalproduct by volume.

3. A fuel for internal combustion engines comprising an emulsion ofnaphthenic acid the crude gasoline, kerosene and gas oil content ofcrude petroleum blended with casinghead gasoline, the water beingmaintained in the emulsion in the dispersed phase, the distillate oilmixture being in excess of 70% by volume, in the final product.

4. A fuel for internal combustion engines comprising a relativelypermanent emulsion of hydrocarbon oil comprising gasoline, kerosene andthe gas oil cuts of crude petroleum with water and naphthenic acid witha relatively small admixture of a light gravity hydrocarbon andoxidizing agent,

the hydrocarbon being in excess of 70% by volume in the final product.

LESTER KIRSCHBRAUN. CHARLES B. BELKNAP.

